"One might well become a holy fool oneself here! It's catching!"--Raskolnikov, from Fyodor Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment.
Witness the musings of another Holy Fool, another follower of "God's own Fool."

Thursday, August 04, 2005

Pope Benedict XVI greeted a group of priests from China "with particular affection" Wednesday, in what was believed to be the first time a pontiff has publicly welcomed members of China's state-controlled church.

The Vatican would not say whether the 28 priests were from the Communist Party-controlled Catholic Patriotic Association or the underground church loyal to Rome. But the Catholic news agency AsiaNews, which has close ties to the Vatican and has proved reliable on Vatican-China developments, said they were members of Beijing's official church.

I understand that the Vatican's relationship with the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is...complicated. I have heard that some Bishops are secretly loyal to Rome while posturing membership in China's only legal Catholic affiliation. On the other hand, I've also heard that many Underground Catholics resent the Patriotic Association. Does anyone have the real deal?

The Vatican may be warming up to China for the sake of relations between the two States. This overture may be a good faith gesture on the part of the Holy See. What could this mean for Vatican relations with Taiwan? Stay tuned!

About Me

I'm a humble Catholic revert and a proud American. But that's not what you really want to know, is it? You want to know about the Holy Fool thing, right? Well, while a certain mystique is good, I can say this: My wife calls me one all the time. It describes in a word the heart of my vocation. For today's fashion of reason suggests that God does not exist or does not matter. Whether by conscious principle or unconscious practice, many elites in society live such a belief in nothing publicly and consider themselves reasonable. That means living the Faith makes one a Fool. Then call me a Holy Fool! Would that I could spread my Foolishness to all the world! With your help, we will!